Golf ball grabber

ABSTRACT

A golf ball remover allows easy removal of a golf ball from a golf hole while the flagstick is left in place, thereby sparing physical strain on the golfer and potential damage to the hole. The golf ball remover may user the flagstick itself as a movement guide, with a ball grabbing component that is not kept within the hole, but instead is stored above the hole on the flagstick and is pushed down into the hole when used. The golf ball remover may be attached to a retractable cord and/or other movement component to automatically lift it out of the hole.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/897,603 filed on Jun. 10, 2020 entitled “GOLF BALL GRABBER” which isa non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/879,777, filed on Jul. 29, 2019, entitled “GOLF BALLPLUCKER”, and also is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/956,263, filed on Jan. 1, 2020, entitled“GOLF BALL PLUCKER CO-AXIAL FLAGSTICK”. The disclosure of the foregoingapplication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

This application relates to improvements in golf equipment.

Description of the Related Art

The two major organizations that govern the rules of golf, The UnitedStates Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient (R & A)introduced changes to rules of golf as of 2019. Among the rule changesprovided by both organizations, there is no longer a penalty if a ballplayed from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole.

As a result, many amateur and professional golfers now choose to puttwith the flagstick remaining in the hole. As a result, the speed of playmay be increased as intended, but at the same time, leaving theflagstick in place leads to difficulties in manual removing the ballfrom the hole as a golfer must carefully place his or her fingersbetween the flagstick and the perimeter of the hole. This may result inadded physical strain to the golfer and may also result in the golfermore frequently inadvertently damaging the hole while attempting toremove the ball.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a guide component is sized and configured to slideup and down a flagstick. For the purpose of this discussion, a flagstickis defined as a vertical pole or rod, which may be solid or hollow,which may or may not have a constant diameter, which may be composed ofvarious materials (such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass), and is placedin a golf hole for the purpose of marking the position of the hole. Aguide component may be a hollow cylinder or a fraction of a hollowcylinder, such as a half cylinder or some other fraction of cylinderwith a longitudinal aperture size to fit around a golf flagstick. Inother embodiments, a guide component could be composed of a flat object,such as in conjunction with an attachment mechanism that maintains theflat object in immediate proximity to the flagstick and allows it toglide up and down along the flagstick. In some embodiments, acylindrical guide component could be adjustable in radius to conform tothe diameter of the flagstick. A guide component may be attached to theflagstick in a variety of ways. For example, it may be tied to theflagstick, snap on to the flagstick or held in place by adjustable orsnap-on rings or partial rings. The inherent partial cylindrical shapeof the guide component may conform to the shape of the flagstick so thatit snaps on to the flagstick to remain in place. The cylindrical guidecomponent could also be composed of two or more components that areassembled together with screws, rivets, or latches in order to be placedon the flagstick without needing to slide the guide cylinder on from thetop or bottom of the flagstick where ferrules may pose an obstruction.In some embodiments, a guide component may hollow or solid and include acomponent that resides within a hollow flagstick.

One advantage of the guide component is that it glides along theflagstick and thereby prevents or reduces the probability of theball-grabbing component or ball from striking the perimeter of the holeas the device is introduced or as the ball is being removed from thehole. The guide component could be made from plastic, fiberglass, metal,wood, wire, rubber and/or other such material. It could be manufacturedfrom a mold, bending a wire, 3-D printing, or other methods. It could bebuilt into the flagstick itself.

The guide component could be attached to other components, such as aball-grabbing component, via glue, screws, inherent tight fit, or othersuch manner. Alternatively, the guide component and other componentscould be one continuous device. The guide component and/or ball-grabbingcomponent could be labeled, marked, colored, or positioned on theflagstick in such a way as to indicate the relative position of the holeon the green, indicating for example, whether the hole is toward thefront, middle, or back of the green. Thus, the guide component may beused as an indicator of location of the flag, as permitted under Part 8of the USGA Committee Equipment Requirements.

In some embodiments, the ball removers discussed herein may include amovement component (also referred to as a “retraction device,” such as aspring, elastic material, or retractable cord or keychain device, forexample. The movement component may be attached to the flagstick andconfigured to automatically retract the guide and/or ball-grabbingcomponent upward to a pre-fixed location on the flagstick. If a springdevice is employed, it may be a compression spring attached to near orat the upper end of the guide and the upper end of the flagstick, suchthat it becomes progressively compressed as the ball grabber and guideare pushed down into the golf hole, with the spring then causing theball remover and guide to retract back to their initial position.Alternatively, it may be a compression spring device running co-axiallyover the flagstick, interposed between the flagstick and an outerco-axial guide tube. In this example, the spring is constrained fromsliding down the flagstick, for example, at a location 30″ above theputting surface by a bushing, shaft collar, glue, or retaining pin. Inthis example, the spring is also constrained at or near the top of theguide. As a result, when the guide tube and ball grabber are pushed downinto the hole, the spring is compressed, subsequently causing the guidetube and ball-grabber to automatically rise up the flagstick to theinitial position. The thickness of the spring, material used tomanufacture the spring, number and spacing of the spring coils, may bedesigned to optimize the compression force needed to push theball-grabber into the hole and then automatically lift the ball,ball-grabber, and guide to the proper position. Instead of (or inaddition to) a spring, an elastic cord may be used, such as an elasticcord comprising a linear strip of nylon, Kevlar, rubber or other suchmaterial. It could be linear, spring shaped, or shaped otherwise. Theretraction device advantageously retracts the guide and grabbingcomponents upward out of the hole to the intended stored position ofthose components. Combinations of springs and elastic cords may be used.For example, two springs may be used that introduce opposing forces inorder to dampen the speed of the retraction of the device.

Embodiments of a ball remover device may include one or more of:

-   -   a spring-loaded piston like flagstick, wherein the ball grabbing        component is attached to an external guide component, optionally        doubles as a hole position indicator, and is pushed down into        the hole to extract the golf ball, then the external guide        component and attached grabbing component (and position        indicator) automatically return to their initial position.    -   a co-axial flagstick wherein an external coaxial hollow        flagstick extends down to the base of the golf hole and contains        one or more vertical slits so that an inner guide component can        be controlled by the user to slide a ball-elevating disk (or        grabbing component) up and down, thus reducing shock-absorbing        effects that may be occur when a golf ball strikes an external        guide component.    -   a co-axial flagstick in which an inner guide component is        magnetically coupled to a ball elevating device and/or an        external lifting collar or handle.

The various embodiments disclosed herein may provide one or more of thefollowing advantages:

-   -   Allows removal of a golf ball from the hole without the golfer        inadvertently damaging the hole's perimeter.    -   Allows the golf ball to be lifted well above the hole so that        the golfer does not need to bend over or bend over as far to        retrieve the ball.    -   Automatically returns the ball grabbing component to well above        the hole so that it is not inadvertently left inside the hole or        in proximity to the putting surface in a manner that would        create a rule violation or inconvenience for the golfer.    -   Conforms to the rules of golf because the ball remover device        may also function as a hole position indicator, and thus may be        “reasonable sized” yet greater than two inches in diameter.    -   Avoids a shock-absorbing tube or wire external to the flagstick        at or near the putting surface    -   Avoids a disk-like device fixed to the flagstick near the bottom        of the hole so does not alter what happens when a ball bounces        in a hole.    -   Avoids any external guide tube or device that rests along or        surrounds the flagstick at or near the level of the putting        surface, thereby reducing any shock-absorbing or deflecting        effect that might alter what normally happens when a ball        strikes the flagstick.    -   A further advantage is that if a golfer chooses not to use the        ball-grabbing and guide device, whether putting with the        flagstick in or out, the experience is unaltered from the        experience with pre-existing flagsticks. In other words, it does        not disrupt the experience of the golfer that chooses not to        take advantage of its benefits.    -   Alternative ball-lifting flagstick devices that rely on a disk        or disk-like device that is attached to the bottom of the        flagstick or to a guide such that the disk rests near the bottom        of the hole present disadvantages relative to the ball grabber        embodiments discussed herein. For example, when a disk is at the        bottom of the hole, each time the flagstick is removed and        replaced there is a risk of hole damage, with the risk increased        as the size of the disk is increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Items are generally consistently numbered so that an item labeled “1”,for example, refers to the same component in each of the figures. Thefigures are not intended to be precisely drawn to scale. The numbereditems in the figures may be referred to as components and/or moredescriptive terms, where the like reference numbers refer to the same orsimilar component throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 (including FIG. 1A, 1B, and 1C) illustrates an example ballremover as may be implemented in conjunction with a flagstick and a golfhole. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a compression spring is illustratedlaying above the central flagstick rod and surrounded by the coaxialguide tube. However, in other embodiments, the coaxial spring wrapscoaxially around the flagstick down to approximately the level of theball removing device. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the externalguide tube extends to the top of the flagstick, but in otherembodiments, the guide tube does not extend to the top of the flagstick.In FIG. 1, the lower margin of the spring is shown attached orconstrained by the top of the inner rod, but in other embodiments thelower end of the spring that is wrapped coaxially around the flagstickmay be constrained by a shaft collar, bushing, tape, glue, or ahorizontal retaining pin drilled into the rod. The fixation of thespring to the top of the coaxial tube is not shown in FIG. 1, butvarious embodiments are possible for this attachment, including abushing or cap attached to the top of the tube via tape, glue, screw, aretaining pin, or other such method.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a portion of a grabbing componentpositioned to lift a golf ball out of a golf hole. Note that when pusheddown, the grabbing component extends below the equator of the ball. Theequator may or may not be parallel to a plane level to the earth. Byusing a ball grabbing device that captures the ball by extending below aball equator that is angled, the total perimeter of the grabbing devicemay be reduced, thus enabling use of a ball-grabbing device with asmaller external perimeter. This is advantageous because it providesmore clearance between the perimeter of the ball grabbing device and theinner perimeter of the hole insert.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a grabbing component, having multipleopenings each sized to engage a golf ball when pressed down around thegolf ball.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the grabbing component of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a side view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of agrabbing component that includes two flexible members arranged to formtwo openings sized to engage the golf ball between the flexible members.

FIGS. 4C is a top view and 4D is a perspective view of another examplegrabbing component.

FIG. 4E is a perspective view, FIG. 4F is a top view, and FIG. 4G is aside perspective view of another example grabbing component.

FIGS. 5A-5F are various views of another example grabbing component.

FIGS. 6A-6F are various views of another example grabbing component.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another example grabbing component.

FIG. 8A is a top view and FIG. 8B is a cut-away perspective view of aportion of another example grabbing component.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C illustrate additional example grabbing components.

FIG. 10 illustrates a portion of an example guide component configuredto move up and down inside the flagstick to move a grabbing componenttoward a golf ball in a golf hole.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a guide component with a handle thatextends through a slot of the flagstick.

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of an internal guide componentand external flagstick.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Conventional flagsticks used on golf courses are generally over sevenfeet tall and more difficult to lift from or insert into a holevertically as compared to shorter practice green flagsticks. As aresult, any disk or cup-like device attached to or near the bottom ofthe flagstick may in fact inadvertently bang into the side of the holeand damage the margin of the hole when the flagstick is removed orinserted.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of an improved method and apparatus forremoving a golf ball from the hole while leaving the flagstick in placein the hole. The embodiments disclosed herein may reduce or eliminatethe chance of the ball or device striking the margin of the hole (e.g.,either the dirt around the edges of the hole and/or a cup that is placedin the hold in the ground) when the ball is removed.

Example Ball Remover

With reference to FIG. 1 (including FIG. 1A, 1B, and 1C), a guidecomponent 1 comprises an external coaxial hollow tube that conforms tothe USGA Rules of Golf regarding diameter and shock absorbing qualities.In some embodiments, this guide component 1 is made of fiberglass (orplastic, metal, or other durable material), has a constant outerdiameter of about 0.75 inches and an inner diameter of about 0.55inches. In some embodiments, the guide component 1 need not have aconstant outer diameter and may be wider, e.g., up to about 2″ in outerdiameter near it's midportion, while smoothly tapering to about 0.75inches or less at its upper and/or lower regions, thus simulating theshape that the golf community commonly calls a “tournament” flagstick.The inner diameter of the coaxial hollow tube may also be larger toallow space for a coaxial spring that wraps around the inner flagstickrod to pass freely between the rod and tube. As previously noted, theguide component may not be solid, but may instead be composed ofassembled components, such as two half-cylinders that are fixed togetheror even a series of stacked rings of variable diameters.

In some embodiments, the guide component 1 is attached to the golfflagstick 2 or flag-like device near or at the top of flagstick 2. Whenused to retrieve a golf ball 8 from the hole (or “cup”) 5 (see FIG. 1C,which is a top view of a golf hole 5 with a golf ball 8 therein), theguide component 1 is slid down over flagstick 2, pushing a grabbingcomponent 3 towards and at least partially into the hole 5. In theexample of FIG. 1, the guide component 1 is returned to its position asa result of a movement component 4, such as a spring (e.g., spring 4A)and/or spring-like device (e.g., elastic material 4B) that is attachedto the guide component 1. The elastic material 4b may be attached to theinner rod and outer tube in various positions and manners in order toachieve the desired result: to enable the user to push the ballretriever into the hole and have it return to its initial position.

Depending on the embodiment, movement component 4 may have variouscomponents and configurations, such as one or more of a spring orelastic material that stores and releases elastic potential energy,and/or any other mechanical or electrical source of a physical force. Inembodiments with a spring, the spring may be exchanged from springs ofvarious lengths or the cap component at the top of the flagstick may beexchanged for stop components of various lengths. As a result, golfmaintenance personnel may easily change the length of the flagstickand/or the relative position of the ball-grabber/position indicator asthe hole position is changes on various days.

In some embodiments, the movement component 4 comprises anelastic-functioning attachment between guide component 1 and flagstick 2so that when guide component 1 is pushed down, it automatically returnsto its initial position relative to the flagstick 2. The movementcomponent 4 may be attached to one or more of an upper portion of theinner rod of the flagstick 2 and/or an lower portion of the guidecomponent 1. Thus, when the guide component 1 is pushed down, theelastic is distracted. In some embodiments, there is a second moresuperficial guide component that prevents the elastic from coming intoview as the first guide component is pushed down. In some embodiments,the movement component 4 is not firmly attached to the guide component1, but is instead held in place by a cap or other stopping device at ornear the top of the guide component 1.

In the example of FIG. 1, the flagstick 2 is a rod that may be solid orhollow and is designed to conform to the USGA Rules of Golf. Forexample, the flagstick 2 may be no greater than 0.75 inches in constantdiameter from three inches above to three inches below the puttingsurface. In some embodiments, the flagstick 2 is a solid fiberglass rodmeasuring about 0.5 inches in outer diameter and attached to a ferrule 6at its distal end. In another embodiment, the flagstick is about 0.375inches in diameter. The ferrule 6 is designed to fit into a hole insertat the bottom of the hole insert 5.

In the example of FIG. 1, the ball grabbing component 3 is attached tothe distal end of guide component 1. As discussed further below, theball grabbing component 3 may temporarily grab, adhere, lift, orotherwise attach to the golf ball. For example, the grabbing component 3may grab the golf ball by pinching it along the lateral margins of theball, wherein lateral margin refers to the sides of the golf ball 8 thatare not directly adjacent to the flagstick 2 or the inner perimeter ofthe hole 5. In some embodiments, the ball-grabbing component may slidedown past the equator of the golf ball, and being composed of a somewhatflexible material, spread to accommodate the golf ball equator, thenspring back to a diameter less than the golf ball equator. As a result,the golf ball may come to rest on top of a portion of the ball grabbingcomponent, so that when the ball-grabber is raised back up to itsinitial position, the golfer can simply lift the ball from theball-grabber instead of forcing the ball from an actively pinchedposition. In some embodiments, a ball grabber component 3 includes acover, such as a bell-shaped (or similar) covering, that covers otherportions of the ball grabber component 3. In some embodiments, thisbell-shaped covering is displaced upward relative to ball grabbingcomponent 3 by the grabbed golf ball and returns to its initial positionas a result of a spring mechanism or gravity after the extracted golfball is removed. Whether or not there is a bell-shaped covering, someother circumferential covering, or no covering, the ball remover 10itself is designed to optionally double as a position indicator byvirtue of an easily recognized characteristic, such as its color orlocation relative to the entire flagstick.

In some embodiments, the grabbing component 3 is attached to theexternal coaxial tube guide component 1 via a snap-on or screw-onmechanism. The grabbing component 3 may also be composed of multipleparts that snap together or screw together so that it can be easilyremoved and replaced from the guide component 1. This may alsofacilitate the golf maintenance staff making changes to the entire ballremover 10 or portion thereof to change the characteristics to indicatethe hole position. In some embodiments, the movement component 4 may beadjustable, such as, for example, adjusting a spring stop position orexchanging springs of various lengths, in order to adjust the totallength of the flagstick 2 or adjust the relative position of thegrabbing component 3 at rest, therefore also providing means of usingthe ball-grabber 3 as a hole position indicator.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a portion of a grabbing component 3positioned to lift a golf ball 8 out of a golf hole 5. In this example,the grabbing component 3 is attached to a distal end of the guidecomponent 1 so that when lowered into the golf hole 5, portions of thegrabbing component 3 are positioned below the golf ball 8 and configuredto lift the golf ball 8 out of the golf hole 5 for retrieval by thegolfer. Once the golf ball 8 has been removed from the golf hole 5, theball grabber (e.g., including the guide component 1 and grabbingcomponent 3, return to a position above the golf hole 5 where they areout of the way of the golf hole 5. As discussed elsewhere, the ballgrabber may be return to a resting position on the flagstick 2 usingvarious movement components 4. Whereas in FIG. 2, it appears that theguide tube surrounds the flagstick at the level of the ball grabber, invarious embodiments, that guide component or ball grabber may notcompletely surround the flagstick, thus leaving more space between theflagstick and the perimeter of the hole.

FIGS. 3-7 provides example embodiments and configurations of grabbingcomponents 3. Depending on the implementation, any of these grabbingcomponents 3 and/or combinations or alterations of the example grabbingcomponents 3 may be used.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a grabbing component 3A, havingmultiple openings 31 each sized to allow a golf ball to be engaged byflexible members 32 when pressed down around the golf ball. FIG. 3B is across-sectional view of the grabbing component 3A of FIG. 3A. In thisembodiment, the grabbing component 3A includes flexible members 32 thatflex as they are pushed against the golf ball 8 and grab the ballbetween adjacent flexible members 32 when they are positioned around acentral (wider) portion of the golf ball 8.

FIG. 4A is a side view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of agrabbing component 3B that includes two flexible members 42 arranged toform two openings 41 sized to engage the golf ball 8 between theflexible members 42. Note that at the level of the ball, theball-grabber does not have a component interposed between the ball andthe flagstick. Instead, components 42 are connected via a bridge or barthat is above the level of the ball. Although not pictured, in FIG. 4Aand FIG. 4B, in other embodiments, the space between components 42 isslightly greater than the diameter of the golf ball, but there arelinear bulges or ridges at or near the bottom and peripheral edges ofcomponents 42 that are closer together than the diameter of the golfball. These somewhat flexible ridges are pushed down below the equatorof the golf ball so that the ball comes to rest on top of them.

FIGS. 4C is a top view and FIG. 4D is a perspective view of anotherexample grabbing component. In this example embodiment, openings 43 aresized to allow a golf ball to fit between sides 45, while ledges 44 aresnapped below an equator of a golf ball such that the ledges 44 arepositioned to support the golf ball as the guide component is lifted outof the hole.

FIG. 4E is a perspective view, FIG. 4F is a top view, and FIG. 4G is aside perspective view of another example grabbing component. In thisexample, a guide component installed on a flagstick would include two ofthe grabbing components illustrated in FIGS. 4E-4G, which are generallyhalf-cylinder structures that may be fixed together about the guidecomponent. In this example, the ball supporting mechanism is similar todiscussed with reference to FIGS. 4C and 4D, with the addition ofattachment holes 46 that allow attachment of the two half-cylinderstructures about a guide component, such as using a metal or plastic nutand bolt or woodscrew. In other embodiments, other attachment mechanismsmay be employed, such as a snap attachment (e.g., a protruding mailattachment on one of the structures and an opposing female portion onthe other structure), Velcro, an adhesive, and/or any other attachmentmechanism. A two-part ball grabbing component, such as is illustrated inthe examples of FIGS. 4E-4G, may be advantageous because it can beeasily replaced if and when needed without disassembly of othercomponents.

FIGS. 5A-5F are various views of a grabbing component 3C. In thisembodiment, the grabbing component 3C includes an inner cylinder 52sized to fit around a flagstick 2 while remaining moveable along alength of the flagstick 2. In this example, two support structures 53extend from the inner cylinder 52 to support an outer cylinder 54.Advantageously, a distance between the outer cylinder 54 has a diameterthat is less than an inner diameter of the golf hole 5 so that the golfhole 5 is not damaged as the grabbing component 3C is lowered into andraised out of the golf hole 5. A gap 55 with a width or radial distance55 r is formed between the inner cylinder 52 and the outer cylinder 54.In this example, the width 55 r is consistent around a circumference ofthe inner cylinder 52. The gap width 55 r is slightly less than thewidth of the golf ball 8. For example, the gap width 55 r may be from0.5 mm to 2 mm or more smaller than a golf ball width. Thus, when thegrabbing component 3C is moved into the golf hole 5, the outer cylinder54 may slightly flex so that the golf ball 8 enters between the innercylinder 52 and outer cylinder 54, grabbing the golf ball 8therebetween. When the grabbing component 3C is then raised out of thegolf hole 5, the golf ball 8 is lifted out of the golf hole 5 with it.In other embodiments, a grabbing component 3 may include fewer oradditional support members 53, such as one, three, or four supportmembers. Of importance, component 54 and component 52 may not extend tothe same level. For example, component 52 may extend more inferiorlythat the lower margin of component 54, so that 55 r is angled and theequator of the ball that is bypassed is not parallel to the flat earthsurface. As a result of the 55 r being angled upward from its center toperipheral margin, the circumference of 54 can be reduced while stillcapturing the golf ball. This example embodiment may provide moreclearance between the ball-grabber and the hole.

FIGS. 6A-6F are various views of a grabbing component 3D. In thisembodiment, the grabbing component 3D includes an inner cylinder 62sized to fit around a flagstick 2 while remaining moveable along alength of the flagstick 2. In this example, a semi-hemispherical supportstructure 63 extends outward from a proximal (top) portion of the innercylinder outward to form an outer cylinder 64. The outer cylinder 64 maybe formed of the same materials as other portions of the grabbingcomponent 3D and/or may include another material that is attached to thesupport structure 63. Advantageously, the outer cylinder 64 has adiameter that is less than an inner diameter of the golf hole 5 so thatthe golf hole 5 is not damaged as the grabbing component 3D is loweredinto and raised out of the golf hole 5. A gap 65 with a width or radialdistance 65 r is formed between the inner cylinder 62 and the outercylinder 64. In this example, the width 65 r is consistent around acircumference of the inner cylinder 62. In other embodiments, the width65 r may be interrupt by other support structures, such as to bettermaintain position of the outer cylinder 64 and maintain grip on the golfball 8 between the inner cylinder 62 and outer cylinder 64. In theexample of FIG. 6, the gap width 65 r is slightly less than the width ofthe golf ball 8. For example, the gap width 65 r may be from 0.5 mm to 2mm or more smaller than a golf ball width. Thus, when the grabbingcomponent 3D is moved into the golf hole 5, the outer cylinder 54 mayslightly flex so that the golf ball 8 enters between the inner cylinder52 and outer cylinder 54, grabbing the golf ball 8 therebetween. Asdiscussed previously, 65 r may be angled, thus enabling 64 to have asmaller circumference.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a grabbing component 3E. In thisembodiment, the grabbing component 3E includes two radially extendingmembers 71 extending from a central cylinder 72 that are joined by aconnecting member 73. One or more of the radial and connecting members71, 73 are flexible enough to allow a central (wider) portion 8A of thegolf ball 8 to pass above at least a portion of the radial members 71 sothat when the grabbing component 3E is lifted upward the golf ball 8 islifted by the radial members 71 and the connecting member 73 maintainsthe golf ball 8's position against the central cylinder 72 until thegolf ball 8 is lifted from the grabbing component 3E by the golfer. Sucha design may be used for a hand-held ball-grabber wherein the golfermanually slides the guide along the flagstick to avoid contacting themargin of the hole. This may also offer a more hygienic means ofremoving a golf ball from a hole.

FIG. 8A is a top view and FIG. 8B is a cut-away perspective view of aportion of a grabbing component 3F. In this example, the centralcylinder 85 is shown with a cut-away portion 82A sized to allow themovement component 4F to snap onto a flagstick 2. Any of the othergrabbing component 3 s may similarly include a feature, such as thecut-away portion 82A, allowing the grabbing component 3 to easily, andremovably, be attached to the flagstick 2. Members 82 extend from thecentral cylinder 85 and at least one of the members 82 includes a detent86 (or, more generally, a depression in the ball-facing part of themember 82 that helps hold the golf ball 8 in place) position to accept acentral portion of the golf ball 8 and more securely grip the golf ball8 between the members 82. In some embodiments, the grabbing component 3Fdoes not include any detents 86. Any of the other grabbing component 3 sdiscussed herein may include one or more detents similar to detent 86 tofurther aid in gripping the golf ball 8.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C illustrate example grabbing component 3G, 3H, and3I. The example grabbing component 3G of FIG. 9A may be formed of a wirethat includes one or more partial loops 94 sized to engage about anouter circumference of flagstick 2. The grabbing component 3G is furtherformed so that a portion 93 flexes about a golf ball 8 and then closesbelow the golf ball 8 so that it may be lifted from the golf hole 5. Theexample grabbing component 3H of FIG. 9B includes a semi hemisphericalcylinder 95 sized to fit about a flagstick 2 so that the grabbingcomponent 3H can be maintained in position against the flagstick 2 whilebeing lowered into and lifted out of a golf hole 5. The example of FIG.9C includes an attachment mechanism shaped similar to shown in FIG. 7.In some embodiments, the grabbing component may be made of a loop ofwire that, when pressed down onto a golf ball 8, grabs the ball from itslateral sides. In this embodiment, the wire loop may be made of 12-gaugestainless steel wire and is shaped such that when it is pushed down, themargins along the lateral sides of the ball are minimally displaced bythe ball. As a result, after the wires on the lateral sides of the ballpass down beyond the ball's equator, the wire springs back so that theball rests in the loop and can be easily lifted out of the hole withoutthe device or ball touching the hole's perimeter.

The example grabbing component 3I of FIG. 9C includes an attachmentmember 97 attached to a central cylinder 96 via a hinging component 98.In this embodiment, the member 97 may rotates outward via the hingingcomponent to expose a larger opening for the golf ball 8 to passthrough, and then rotate inward to be positioned below the golf ball 8where the grabbing component 3I can be lifted to remove the golf ball 8from the golf hole 5. The embodiments of FIG. 9 may be especially usefulin implementations where the ball remover 10 is carried by the golferand attached to the flagstick 2 as needed. For example, these grabbingcomponents may not include portions meant for permanent attachment tothe flagstick 2, but may be carried by the golfer and manually slidalong the flagstick 2 as needed.

FIGS. 10-12 illustrate embodiments where a portion of a guide component1B is internal to the flagstick 2B. FIG. 10 illustrates a portion of aguide component 1B configured to move up and down inside the flagstick2B to move a grabbing component 3 (not shown) toward a golf ball 8 in agolf hole 5. Any of the grabbing components discussed herein may be usedin conjunction with the internal guide component 1B, such as illustratedin FIG. 10. In this embodiment, the flagstick 2B includes one or moreslots 81 through which a portion of the guide component 1B may extendfor movement by a golfer. For example, with reference to FIG. 11, theguide component 1B with a handle 91 that extends through a slot 81 ofthe flagstick 2B. FIG. 11 also includes a ball-elevating disk guide 92that rests at the bottom of the golf hole 5 until a golf ball 8 entersthe golf hole 5. At that time, the handle 91 may be raised by the golferto cause the guide component 1B to slide within the flagstick 2B,raising the guide 92, and the ball that is supported thereon, out of thegolf hole 5. When the handle 91 is released, the guide component 1Bslides back down the flagstick 2B until the guide 92 again rest on thebottom of the golf hole 5, out of the view of the golfer. In someembodiments, the guide 92 may be 2″ or less in diameter to conform withthe USGA Rules of Golf. It may expand in diameter when elevated using anaperture mechanism keep the ball from sliding off when elevated abovethe hole.

In other embodiments, an internal guide component 1 similar to thoseshown in FIGS. 10-12 may be attached to a grabbing component 3 thatgrabs the golf ball 8 when lowered onto the golf ball 8, and then isreturned to a raised position by a manual and/or spring loaded movementcomponent 4, for example.

FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment with an internal guide component1C and external flagstick 2C. In this example, the inner guide component1C is composed of or is attached to a magnet or ferromagnetic material102D, or metal that can be attracted by a magnet. Similarly, the guide92 includes a magnet or ferromagnetic material 102B that is attracted tomaterial 102A of the internal guide component 1C when lowered into thegolf hole 5, such that the guide 92 may be lifted out of the golf hole 5by moving the handle 102C upward. In some embodiments, the handle 102Cis a circumferential collar or handle that is external to the flagstick2C and can be magnetically linked to the guide component 1C viaattraction to the magnet 102D. Accordingly, the golfer can controlflagstick 2C and the guide 92 (and/or any of the grabbing components 3discussed herein) by sliding the guide component 1C up or down withinthe flagstick 2C via movement of the handle 102C.

As noted above, in some embodiments the ball removers (or “ball-grabbingdevices”) are designed to double as hole position indicators and thusconform to the USGA Rules of Golf even if they are greater than about 2cm in diameter. For example, the ball removers may be colored toindicate the hole position as being near the front, middle, or back ofthe putting green. Various designs for the ball removes may be employed,such that the diameter is less than the diameter of a hole insert devicethat is placed into the golf hole 5. For example, given a golf holediameter of about 4.25 inches, the outer diameter of the hole insertdevice may be about 4.24 inches and the inner diameter of the holeinsert device may be about 4.20 inches. In this event, grabbingcomponent 3 may be about 4.15 inches or less in diameter.

1. (canceled)
 2. A golf ball remover comprising: a tube componentpositioned coaxial to a golf flagstick and configured to glide coaxialalong the golf flagstick; a spring component positioned coaxial to thegolf flagstick between the golf flagstick and the tube component, thespring component having: a lower end positioned so that the springcomponent is prevented from descending from its initial position alongthe flagstick; and an upper end constrained by the tube component; and aball-grabbing component attached to a lower end of the tube component;wherein movement of the tube component downward from an initial positionpushes the ball-grabbing component into a golf hole while compressingthe spring component to generate a spring force that returns theball-grabbing component and tube component to substantially the initialposition.
 3. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the ball-grabbingcomponent comprises two or more pieces that are attached to the tubecomponent such that they can be easily removed without removing the tubeor spring components.
 4. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein thespring component comprises an elastic material or compressed gas piston.5. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the spring component doesnot include a coiled wire.
 6. The golf ball remover of claim 2 whereinthe tube component comprises a semi-solid, perforated, or coiledmaterial.
 7. The golf ball remover of claim 2, wherein the tubecomponent is not a solid tube.
 8. The golf ball remover of claim 2,wherein the initial position of the ball-grabbing component, tubecomponent, and spring component are all more than three inches above aputting surface that defines a top of the golf hole.
 9. A golf ballremover comprising: a ball-grabbing component position to be co-axiallymoved down and up along a golf flagstick, wherein an initial position ofthe ball-grabbing component is more than three inches above a puttingsurface.
 10. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbingcomponent is configured to be moved downward along the golf flagstick bya manual force applied by a user to grab a golf ball in a golf hole. 11.The golf ball remover of claim 10, wherein the ball-grabbing componentis configured to be moved upward along the golf flagstick with the ballsecured by the ball-grabbing component to move the ball above the golfhole.
 12. The golf ball remover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbingcomponent is detachable from the golf flagstick without sliding it overeither end of the golf flagstick.
 13. The golf ball remover of claim 9,wherein the ball-grabbing component comprises two or more pieces thatare screwed or snapped together around the golf flagstick.
 14. The golfball remover of claim 13, wherein the screws or snaps are reversible toallow removal of the ball-grabbing component from the golf flagstickwithout sliding over either end of the golf flagstick.
 15. The golf ballremover of claim 9, wherein the ball-grabbing component is configured toreturn to the initial position automatically.
 16. The golf ball removerof claim 15, further comprising one or more of a spring, an elasticmaterial, or a compressed gas.